Catching Up With Members of the Birds' 1996 Bullpen

No word on Manny Alexander and his 67.50 ERA from that season

By Matthew Taylor

“Baltimore was the only team that would give me a chance."

-Esteban Yan, as quoted in The Sun

At this time of year many men dream of performing bunting drills and soft toss with the big leaguers, hitting the cutoff man with their hometown heroes.

Not me. I dream of playing trivial pursuit with Esteban Yan …

“Okay, guys, here’s your question: Name the first American League pitcher since the birth of the designated hitter to hit a home run in his first Major League at bat.”

“Whaddya think Esteban?”

“Uh, that’d be me.”

…

“Alright, fellas, this one’s for pie. Which two Oriole players were selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft?”

“Esteban? Any ideas?”

“Me again. And Aaron Ledesma.”

High fives all around ….

My dream Trivial Pursuit pairing with Esteban Yan isn’t likely to happen. However, Yan – the player I best remember as a hard-throwing “guy with potential” in the mold of Armando Benitez – might well wind up on a mound near you, O’s fans.

The 32-year-old’s effort to get back to the bigs after a year in Japan is one of the more intriguing, non-Mitchell Report storylines out of the Birds’ camp this spring.

Among those offering comment are the following: The Washington Post, The (Annapolis) Capital, The Sun, and SI.com. Also check out Camden Chat and Birds in the Belfry.

Kevin Millar also has some fun with Yan on his MLB blog: “I've got to say I missed doing the diary last year, and I'd like to get on the record that MLB.com big leagued me. I think they wanted to do the Esteban Yan diary or something. But now I'm back and we're giving it a second chance.”

Millar offers some interesting comments about rebuilding (“we’ve gotten better … this isn’t a long-term rebuilding process”), Dave Trembley (“How do you not respect this guy?”), and Jay Gibbons (“Why is he one of the only guys suspended?”)

If Yan does make the club here’s hoping he doesn’t ruin that perfect batting average (2-for-2 with the home run in Tampa and a single for the Cardinals in 2003) during Interleague Play.

Two comebackers

Erik Bedard isn’t the only former Bird in Seattle’s camp this spring. Arthur Rhodes, who turns 39 in October, is a non-roster invitee after missing the 2007 season following Tommy John surgery.

USA Today gives the full run-down. More info appears in articles by The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, HeraldNet, and TDN.com.

Meanwhile, Alan Mills, who appeared with the Erie SeaWolves in a game last summer against the Bowie Baysox during his comeback attempt, has called it quits. He will serve as pitching coach this season for the Oneonta Tigers of the New York-Penn League.

Familiar Faces in Bowie

O's from the past and of the future take the field for the Baysox

By Matthew Taylor

“If you don’t see a birth certificate and you just watch Alan Mills out here pitching and running around and playing the game with the guys, he just looks like one of them. That’s a pretty big compliment to him, because for where he’s been and what’s he’s experienced, to come back with the energy that he’s come back with is a real credit to the type of person he is.”

-Erie Seawolves pitching coach A.J. Sager

My reaction in the bottom of the ninth inning of last night’s Bowie Baysox game was the same one most O’s fans would have while watching the visiting pitcher with the familiar-sounding name warm up: “Is that THE Alan Mills?”

A quick flip through the Baysox game day program suggested that the pitcher wearing a number, 39, smaller than his age, 40, could indeed be the former O’s reliever famous for cold-cocking Daryl Strawberry in the Yankees dugout during the Armando Benitez-induced Bronx brawl in 1998. And indeed it was, as confirmed in the appropriately headlined Record-Journal article, “Is it really THAT Alan Mills?”

Mills has recorded 22 saves this season with the Erie SeaWolves, the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate, with 21 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched and a 1.71 ERA. He wasn’t particularly sharp during Thursday night’s match-up with the Baysox, allowing three hits and one run, but he pinned down the 4-2 victory by striking out pinch-hitter Morgan Clendenin, who represented the winning run.

According to the Record-Journal, Mills is cryptic about his reasons for returning to baseball after five years away from the game, stating, “I’ll talk about the team, but I don’t want to talk about myself.”

Mills was the oldest player at Prince George’s Stadium by more than a decade. Meanwhile, Erie manager Matt Walbeck is three years younger than Mills.

Quick hits: Kud-O’s to Baysox GM Brian Shallcross for upholding Minor League Baseball’s fan-friendly reputation. After a bizarre infestation of flying ants at Prince George’s Stadium threatened to make it a very short night at the ballpark for my wife and me, Shallcross kindly relocated us to the club’s luxury box seating. The experience helped lift our spirits, especially after we missed out on the Nick Markakis bobblehead giveaway.

-Other familiar O’s faces at the ballpark on Thursday night included Baysox pitching coach and Oriole legend Scott McGregor; recent Miguel Tejada replacement, shortstop Luis Hernandez; and 2006 call-up, centerfielder Jeff Fiorentino.